Tiger kills seven people in two week spree in northern India

Killing spree: A tiger is reported to have killed seven people in a fortnight. FRANK RUMPENHORST/AFP/Getty Images Getty

A tiger hunting for food has killed seven people in northern India in the past two weeks, authorities said today.

Thousands of terrified villagers have been forced to stay inside while hunters try to kill the tiger, a female prowling an area of some 80 miles. Its latest victim was a woman whose body was found in a forest in Uttar Pradesh state, according to Rupak De, the principal chief conservator of forests.

Mr De said it had “turned into a man-eater”, adding: “It must still be hungry as it has been running without rest and adequate food.”

Reports that a killer tiger was on the loose began circulating Dec. 29, when a 65-year-old man was mauled in Sambhal district.

"People are terrified," said Salim Luqmaan, a government official in Moradabad, a forested area dotted with villages where most the killings have happened. "They have been asked not to go near forest areas alone. Three hunters have been hired to kill the tigress."

The tiger is believed to have strayed into the area from Jim Corbett National Park.

Wildlife activist and member of Parliament Meneka Gandhi has appealed to Uttar Pradesh's government not to shoot the tiger. In a letter to forest officials, she said the animal was only attacking people because it is hungry and would spare humans once it returns to its natural habitat.

She said the Uttar Pradesh government should capture the tiger and release it in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand.